'Nacho Libre' latest in lackluster summer movies

OK, I admit it. I saw “Nacho Libre” during its opening weekend.

The too-stupid-to-be-funny Jack Black vehicle was pretty offensive, not least because of its skewering of Mexican culture. Black, today’s version of the late Chris Farley, plays a friar-turned-wrestler struggling to win money to feed the orphans in his charge.

Children’s network Nickelodeon produced “Libre.” With a better director, it could have been a heartwarming, genuinely funny tale. But gratuitous farting and shirtless shots of a portly Black derail the film and make the viewer forget the point.

Jared Hess, director of “Napoleon Dynamite,” also helmed “Libre,” and it seems absurdity has become Hess’ calling card.

But perhaps what’s more absurd is the summer movie landscape itself. It’s almost July, and there have not been any real blockbusters. Tom Cruise’s eccentricities seem to have had an effect on the reception of “Mission Impossible III.” “X3: The Last Stand” made $102 million in its opening weekend, but its popularity has dropped off considerably since then. Romantic comedy “The Break-Up,” starring real-life couple Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn, suffered from dismal reviews and media oversaturation.

According to a report by Greg Hernandez of the Los Angeles Daily News, box office receipts are actually up 4.81 percent compared with 2005. So, people are still watching. But that small change certainly hasn’t made the movies any more redeeming.

Movies just aren’t that exciting anymore. One must look no further than ticket prices to understand why. An average movie ticket costs $7. A family of four can expect to pay no less than $30 for two hours of “entertainment,” and that doesn’t include popcorn.

Seeing a movie has become an all-day affair. Going to the theater is no longer a carefree outing. To get decent seats, audience members must arrive at least an hour before show time. I usually buy tickets online a day ahead of time to avoid long lines. That necessitates me scheduling my weekend almost like a work day.

And after the audience has waited an hour for the feature presentation, it gets to see at least 20 minutes of annoying previews. The only good thing about them is that they let viewers decide not to spend any more of their hard-earned money on uninteresting films.

Yet there is one sector in which people are enjoying films again — as rentals. For less than the price of one movie outing, families can sign up for monthly services such at NetFlix, which deliver DVDs right to their doors. With these rental services, there are no late fees and a wide selection of films to choose from. NetFlix alone offers 60,000 titles.

And the best part is, you never have to leave the house. All the peripheral aggravations of going to a theater go away with the ease of totally skipping the DVD previews. Show times begin whenever your signficantly-cheaper popcorn comes out of the microwave.

“Superman Returns,” Hollywood’s next big attempt at a blockbuster, hits theaters today. Perhaps the super hero craze that made successes out of the “X-Men” and “Spiderman” franchises will bode well for “Superman” and its unknown leading man, Brandon Routh. For me, however, “Superman” just marks another unexciting film in a genre that needs a little bit of a rest for now.

But if you’d rather enjoy movies from your couch than from a sticky theater chair, here are some upcoming DVD releases to enjoy.

July 4: “The Matador” (Pierce Brosnan), “Libertine” (Johnny Depp)

July 11: “Basic Instinct 2” (Sharon Stone), “Grilled” (Ray Romano and Kevin James)

July 18: “She’s the Man” (Amanda Bynes), “ATL,” “Edison Force” (Morgan Freeman, LL Cool J)

July 25: “Final Destination 3,” “The Benchwarmers” (Rob Schneider, David Spade), “Ask the Dusk” (Salma Hayek, Colin Farrell), “Hudson Hawk” (Bruce Willis)